A Tail of Family
by SarcasticShiloh
Summary: Draco gets a letter from his Father that upsets him greatly. DMHG as main pairing. Side pairings: HPGW, RWLB. Draco is friends with the Golden Trio, they sing three songs on Graduation day, NOT for Lucius lovers! R&R! rated because of language!


**REPOSTED! FOR WHY CHECK BIO!**

Last posted: 6-28-04

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, the songs Numb (Linkin park owns it), Perfect (Simple Plan), and Hold On (Good Charlotte), I don't own them ether.

**_A Tale of Family_**

It was two weeks until the end of Draco Malfoy's seventh year at Hogwarts. '_I hope this'll work._' He thought, thinking about what had happened in the last five months.

Draco had become good friends with Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley sometime around the end of November. They had helped him out when his mother died. His own father had killed her because she hadn't wanted him, Draco, to get the Dark Mark. His father then had the nerve to send him an owl to tell him ALL about it. EVERY.LAST.DETAIL.

The Gryffindor Trio had noticed that he'd stop calling them names, sabotaging their potions, and really just stopped doing anything to anyone that year but after the letter came, which everyone had seen come, they'd come to see what was wrong.

Draco was eating breakfast with his house on Sunday, November 25, when a black owl came flying over to him.

Since the owl post didn't often come on Sunday mornings, almost everyone looked over to the owl, and Draco.

Draco recognized his father's owl right away and when it landed he took the letter and opened it.

_Dear Draco,_

_ I'll just get right to the good news since you will just love it. I killed your mother yesterday. It seems she is not as loyal to our Lord as we thought. She was threatening to ask Dumbledore to keep you away from me so you would not get the Dark Mark like you want to this summer. Then she went on telling me that you would be happier if you didn't get it, and all that rubbish._

After that he went on to detail the torture he put her through and then how he used the Cruciatus Curse to slowly kill her.

Around the middle Draco had whispered, "You bastard," not noticing most everyone was watching him.

Draco was starting to feel a little sick by the time he finish the letter. "I'll get you for this." He whispered again. He took his wand out and, pointing it at the letter, started to mutter "_Incendio_" but stop as he knew he would need evidence to convict his father.

Draco put the letter in his pocket and then got up quickly and half ran-half walked out of the Great hall.

As soon as the doors closed behind him, Draco took off running. He went up and down staircases, through doors, and in and out of different hallways.

He finally stopped running when he reached an un-used classroom, and slipped in.

Draco started pacing back and forth across the room, thinking about the letter and what he was going to do now that his mother was gone.

Draco's thoughts where suddenly interrupted by the door swinging open. "Who's there?" he snarled at the opening but no one was there, "Weird."

He went over and closed the door, then went back to thinking…out loud.

"Why does Father do these things? Can't he see that I don't want to be him? He does all these things thinking that I don't care, but this time, he's gone over board." He ranted, and then he softly begged as he slid down the wall he was now leaning on, "Mom, I miss you. Please, come back.

"What am I going to do? Father will surely force me to get the bloody thing." he muttered as he pulled his knees up to his chest and, after wrapping his arms around them, put his head down and cried softly.

After a few moments a girl's voice answered his silent plea for help, "You could ask for help, or we could help you." she said softly.

Draco, to upset to be surprised, muttered, "Who are you?"

"You don't want to know." A different voice (male) said, "What happened?"

_I've heard their voices before, but where?_ Draco thought, and then said, "I got a letter with bad news… **_very_** bad news"

"Like what?" a third voice said. Male again.

"Like family dead." He replied, "Anyway, who are you? If you want to know more, you're gonna have to tell me." Then he added, sensing hesitation, "Look, I'm so out of it that even if you were Voldemort, Grindelwald, and the dark lord before him, I wouldn't care much..."

"What ever you say." Voice two said, and then muttered something along the lines of, "I'm going to regret this."

When Draco looked up a moment later there stood Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. He gave a short laugh, shook his head and muttered, "Figures."

"So…" Ron said awkwardly

"So, my Mom died. The bastard I call a father killed her and thought I'd _like_ a full report on it."

After Draco was done telling them the whole story and showing them the letter, Hermione sat by him and put an arm around him. He started to cry a little. His body shook with suppressed sobs as Hermione moved his head onto her shoulder.

* * *

After that, the three Gryffindors and Draco became close friends, but they made sure no one else knew that.

Draco had learned that the three Gryffindors had their own problems. Hermione's parents wanted her to be the best and were pressuring her, Ron's parents were disappointed that he didn't make Head Boy and he was feeling like they expected him to do as good as his brothers, and Harry's relatives hated him and Dumbledore was keeping things from him that he thought he should know.

Draco and Hermione had even started dating, and Draco planed on asking her to marry him on Graduation Day.

Now, five months later, Draco and his three friends from Gryffindor had thought of a way to let the whole school know what they thought of their relatives.

The four were going to do a few songs at the end-of-the-year graduation ceremony for the seventh years and their parents/guardians.

Draco was going to be the lead singer with Hermione doing back-up. Harry and Ron were doing the instruments.

"Hey, Draco, don't think too hard. It's not good for you." Ron joked as he, Harry, and Hermione came into the Room of Requirements. Hermione came over and sat on Draco's lap.

The four of them had decided that the Room of Requirements was where they would practice the songs they were going to do.

"Ha ha. Very funny, Ron. Now, let's get a move on it. Which song do you guys want to do first?"

They practiced each song everyday for the next two weeks. Every night they played all the song till they had it perfect.

2 WEEKS LATER

Draco was standing on the stage where he, Hermione, Ron, and Harry would play the songs that they'd worked hard to make them as perfect as they could.

All the 7th years' parents and family members were sitting in chairs transfigured from the benches of the house tables (Which, two of, had been transfigured into the stage).

Draco's father was sitting in a chair around the middle of the seats.

"Hello everyone," Draco started, "I've asked Headmaster Dumbledore if a few of my friends and I may play a couple songs tonight. He said we could.

"Now, I'd like to introduce the friends that will be playing with me. Playing guitar is Ron Weasley."

Ron walked up to the stage and stood on Draco's right.

Draco continued, "And as drummer, Harry Potter."

Harry walked up to stand by Ron.

"And last, but not least, Hermione Granger as the second singer and back-up."

Hermione walked up and stood on Draco's left. The crowd (mostly students and pure-bloods) was whispering, all wondering what the hell was going on.

Lucius Malfoy looked vivid. How dare his son claim to be _friends_ with Potter, a Weasley, and a _Mud-blood_!

"The first song we're going to do is called '_Perfect_' by Simple Plan, but it's altered a little. This song is dedicated to my Father, Lucius Malfoy, who should pay attention to the words. Ready guys?" the last part was directed at the three Gryffindors.

The other three nodded and went and took their places, Ron and Harry some what in the back and Hermione a few feet away from Draco to the left.

The group's microphones appeared and they started the song.

Draco started singing first.

"Hey dad look at me  
Think back and talk to me  
Did I grow up according to your plan?  
And do you think I'm wasting my time doing things I wanna do?  
But it don't hurt when you disapprove anymore."

Then Hermione and Draco sang the next part together.

"And now I try hard to make it  
I just wanted to make you proud  
I could never be good enough for you  
I can't pretend that  
I'm alright."

Hermione stopped singing and Draco continued.

"And you can't change me  
'Cuz we lost it all  
When you killed my Mother

You know you are a

Bastard

Now I can't trust you

After that, and  
We can't go back  
I'm sorry  
But you've lost me

Now."

Draco stopped for a moment as the music played, then he started the next verse.

"I try not to think  
About the pain you caused in me  
Did you know you used to be my hero?  
All the days you'd spend with me  
Now seem so far away  
And it feels like you don't care anymore."

Hermione joined in again.

"And now I try hard to make it  
I just wanted to make you proud  
I could never be good enough for you  
I can't stand another Crucio."

Draco. Music lowered.

"And nothing's alright  
'Cuz we lost it all  
Nothing lasts forever  
I'm not sorry  
I couldn't be perfect  
Now it's just too late and  
We can't go back  
I'm not sorry  
I couldn't be perfect."

Draco stopped singing for a little while as Harry and Ron started playing louder. Then he and Hermione started singing as loud as they could.

"Nothing's gonna change the things that you did!  
Nothing's gonna make this right again!"

Harry and Ron echoed the last two words.

"Please don't turn your back  
I can't believe its hard  
Just to talk to you  
But you don't understand!

Harry and Ron both echoed the last word, "Understand!"

There was a pause and then Draco finished it up.

"'Cuz we lost it all  
Nothing lasts forever  
I'm not sorry  
I could never be perfect  
Now it's just too late and  
We can't go back  
After what you did,

You sick old Bastard!

"'Cuz we lost it all  
Nothing lasts forever  
I'm not sorry  
That I couldn't be perfect

Now it's just too late and  
We can never go back  
I'm not sorry  
And now I don't have to be...perfect."

The crowd all turned to glare at Lucius Malfoy when Draco locked eyes with him and gave him such a look that it would have made Snape flinch.

Then Draco said, turning away from his father, "This next song is called "Numb" by Linkin Park. This song is dedicated to my Father, Hermione's parents, Ron's parents, and Harry's relative's (who are not here, by the way.) and Headmaster Dumbledore. We'll all be singing. Ready?"

The other three nodded.

Harry's drums turned into a piano and the song started…

They sang softly.

Hermione started the first verse

"Top of Form

I'm tired of being what you want me to be  
Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface."

As Hermione drew the last word out, Harry picked up.

"I don't know what you're expecting of me  
Put under the pressure, of walking in your shoes."

Harry, as Hermione had, drew the last word out. Ron picked up.

"(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)"

Draco sang the next sentence and Ron the next.

"Every step that I take is another mistake to you."

"(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)"

The four sang the chorus together, Harry and Hermione singing louder than Draco and Ron. They, surprisingly, sounded well singing together, no one would have thought.

"I've become so numb  
I can't feel you there  
I've become so tired, so much more aware  
I'm becoming this, all I want to do  
Is be more like me and be less like you."

Harry picked up the song immediately after, the beat speeding up.

"Can't you see that you're smothering me?  
Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control."

Hermione joined in so that they we're both singing..

"'Cause everything that you thought I would be  
Has fallen apart, right in front of you."

Harry and Hermione stopped. Ron started, than Draco, than Ron again.

"(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)"

"Every step that I take is another mistake to you."

"(Caught in the undertow, I'm just caught in the undertow)"

Harry shouted the next line before they sang the chorus again, this time with Ron and Draco singing louder than Harry and Hermione

"An' every second I waste is more than I can take!"

"I've become so numb  
I can't feel you there  
I've become so tired, so much more aware  
I'm becoming this, all I want to do  
Is be more like me and be less like you."

Draco sang the next verse.

"And I know  
I may end up failing too  
But I know  
You were just like me  
With someone disappointed in you."

All four. Harry and Hermione louder.

"I've become so numb  
I can't feel you there  
Become so tired, so much more aware  
I'm becoming this, all I want to do  
Is be more like me and be less like you."

Ron, with Hermione dong the last sentence.

"I've  
Become so numb  
I can't feel you there."

"I'm tired of being what you want me to be."

Bottom of Form

Draco with Harry singing the last sentence.

"I've  
Become so numb  
I can't feel you there."

"I'm tired of being what you want me to be."

That last notes of the piano faded away.

The crowed clapped but some were to shocked to do much but that, namely, the people the song was dedicated to, and a few others.

Draco looked at Harry, moved his head forward, and smiled. He then turned back to the crowed as Harry walked forward to stand by Draco.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is our final song. Harry here will be singing with me and 'Mione. The song's called, "Hold On" by Good Charlotte. It's dedicated to all those who have thought of suicide, like Harry and myself. Harry?"

Harry took a deep breath and said, "To those who have thought of killing yourself, listen, please. This song helped me and Draco, and we hope it helps you."

Draco walked over to Harry's drums and sat down behind them, warming up a bit.

Hermione spelled a big screen to appear behind them and also to play the video to the song, but without Good Charlotte in it.

Harry started singing first as the video played.

"This world,

This world is cold  
But you,

You don't have to go.

You're feeling sad you're feeling lonely  
And no one seems to care."

Draco started singing.

"You're mother's gone and your father hits you  
This pain you cannot bare."

Hermione.

"But we all bleed the same way as you do.  
We all have the same things to go through."

Hermione and Draco. Draco picked up the beat with the drums.

"Hold on...if you feel like letting go  
Hold on...it gets better than you know."

Harry. Draco let the drums fade a bit.

"Your days,

You say they're way too long  
And your nights you can't sleep at all (hold on)."

Draco.

"And you're not sure what you're looking for  
But you don't want to no more  
And you're not sure what you're waiting for but you don't want to no more."

Hermione.

"But we all bleed the same way as you do.  
And we all have the same things to go through."

Hermione and Draco, Draco doing the same as before.

"Hold on...if you feel like letting go  
Hold on...it gets better than you know

Don't stop looking you're one step closer.  
Don't stop searching it's not over...hold on."

Draco and Hermione let the last words linger.

There was a pause and then the music went low but Harry sang loud, dragging out the last word of each sentence.

"What are you looking for?"

A pause, and then keeps going.

"What are you waiting for?

A pause, and then keeps going.

"Do you know what you're doing to me?"

A pause, and then keeps going.

"Go ahead...what are you waiting for?"

Hermione and Draco started in immediately, Draco doing same as before.

"Hold on...if you feel like letting go  
Hold on...it gets better than you know

Don't stop looking you're one step closer  
Don't stop searching it's not over...

Hold on...if you feel like letting go  
Hold on...it gets better than you know...hold on."

The crowed cheered louder then before, but again, some were to shocked to do much more then clap.

Ron left his guitar and walked over to stand in line with the other three.

The four looked at each other and smiled a bit. They'd done it. They'd told everyone how they felt. Now all they had to do was deal with they're family's views, but they knew that they could take it. After all, if they wanted to fight Voldemort they would have to be able to deal with they're family and anything else that should get in their way.

(a/n: yeah know, I was gonna stop here when I wrote this, but I was hit with inspiration.)

Lucius Malfoy suddenly stormed up to the stage, silencing the crowd as a result, and started hissing at his son, "Draco! What the hell do you think you are doing? Associating with Griffindors? A Weasley? Potter? A _Mud-blood_? I thought—"

Lucius didn't get any farther in his monologue because Draco suddenly punched his father hard enough in the face to send him to the ground.

Draco was seething, "How **_dare_** you insult the woman I love and my two best friends! You have **_no_** right! Just like you had **_no right_** to think you knew what I wanted to do with my life! Like you had **_NO BLOODY FUCKING RIGHT_** TO KILL MUM!!!"

Draco took a deep breath and tried to calm down. After a few minutes he turned to Hermione, who look a little shocked at his declaration of love to her, slowly walked over to her, took her hands in his, and looked into her eyes.

Ron and Harry glanced at each other and smiled. Their friend had told them about his plans a week ago. They'd helped him pick out a ring and gave him some encouragement.

Hermione was shocked to hear Draco say he loved her. They'd been dating for quite a while and she'd fallen in love with him awhile back but hadn't had the courage to say it to him.

Draco took in another deep breath, looked deep into her eyes, and said, "Hermione, we've been dating for months now, and were never civilized to each other before, but did you know that during 6th year I developed a crush on you? When you asked me to the Three Broom Sticks with you on the weekend before Christmas, I just 'bout jumped with joy.

"And when you kissed me on New Years Eve, I felt like the happiest man alive. I felt like I could do anything. I'm so very lucky to have you in my life.

"What I'm trying to find the (no matter how Griffindor-ish it may sound) courage to say is…" he took a deep breath before continuing, bringing out a box from his pocket at the same time, "Hermione Maria Granger, will you marry me?"

The whole hall was in silence, Lucius still on the floor, the parents and students watching quietly.

Draco opened the black velvet box and inside was a beautiful silver band ring with a red ruby in the center, shaped as a heart with the letter H in the middle in jade.

Draco watched Hermione as her face changed from shock, to amazement, to joy. His heart swelled up as she tearfully said the two words he'd been hoping to hear.

"I do."

"I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT!!!!!!! NO SON OF MINE IS GOING TO MARRY A FILTHY **MUD-BLOOD**!!!!" Lucius jumped up from the floor and drew his wand, pointing it at Hermione, "_AVADA KED_—"

Before he could finish, Ron and Harry pulled out they're wands and shouted the disarming spell at Draco's father, powerful enough to knock him down, his wand flew into Ron's hand.

Ron walked over to the edge of the stage and glanced at the Hall's doors before shouting, "Moody! Tonks! Come haul this bastard off to the Ministry before Draco, Harry and I kill him ourselves, will you?"

Everyone looked to the doors to see Tonks and "Mad-eye" Moody walking towards the stage and Lucius.

When the two got to the stage, Tonks glared at Lucius and then turned to Draco.

"Do you have the evidence?" she asked him.

Draco pulled out the letter his father had sent him in November from a pocket and gave it to Ron who gave it to Tonks. "Yep, and I think it's a 50 year sentence for trying to cast an Unforgivable, right?"

"Yep, and with this letter we can get a warrant to use Veritaserum on him. Come along Mr. Malfoy." Moody said as he put a binding spell on Lucius' hands and colleted the prisoner's wand. "All the money in the world won't get you off of this. At least, not since Fudge got fired."

As Moody and the elder Malfoy walked by her, Tonks stuck her leg out and tripped Lucius. "Oops, my mistake, sorry," And then she whispered "not" after he passed.

After the Aurors took Lucius away, Draco turned back to Hermione. He looked into her eyes again, smiled, and whispered, "I love you more than anything in the world." And then, he kissed her.

Ron and Harry looked at each other and grinned. They were going to play professional quittich after they got rid of Voldemort while Draco wanted to be an Auror and Hermione a teacher.

Once Hermione and Draco broke apart, a few students started clapping, then more, and more, and more, until the whole Hall was clapping and whistling.

Draco took the ring out of the box and slipped it on Hermione's ring finger. The he took her hand, turned to the crowd, motioned Harry and Ron over, and they all bowed grinning like mad.

* * *

"And that, my dears, is how Draco and Hermione got together." Ron Weasley said to the four children sitting in front of him, two of which were his own. "Just don't tell them I told you the un-edited version. They'd blow a gasket."

Ron Weasley was 33 years old with two children, a boy named Jake (9) and a girl named Sarah(7), and a beautiful wife named Lavender Brown (now Weasley).

The other two children were Todd Malfoy (10), and Lily Potter (7). Lily's parents were Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley (now Potter), and Todd's were Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger (now Malfoy).

Ron didn't see the blonde standing behind his chair but the kids did and started giggling.

The blonde folded his arms and cleared his throat. Ron's eyes widened and he turn around in his seat.

"Hehe… eh… hi Draco. How are you? Just telling the kids a bedtime story before they head off." He stuttered.

Draco stared at Ron for a moment longer before leaning down and whispering loud enough for the kids to hear, "Great choice but don't let 'Mione hear you. _She'll_ blow the gasket."

The children started laughing at that and so did the two men.

* * *

Voldemort had fallen two years after Draco proposed to Hermione. They'd married a year before his down fall.

Ron and Lavender got married three years after Draco and Hermione.

Harry and Ginny got married the same year as Ron and Lavender.

They all lived in Hogsmed and were very happy, though they didn't live happily ever after. After all, they all had their little problems, and even a few big ones. Lily got pneumonia one winter; Jake fell off the roof after climbing up on it; Harry crack his hip when a bludger knock him off his broom in a Quidditch match; and Lavender was attack by a rogue Death Eater but wasn't seriously injured. They had many misfortunes, but even more blessings.

* * *

AN: Hope you liked it. I spent months on it. Since around Feb. something, I think. Or maybe March? Anyway, please R&R. 

Adios Amigos!

**THIS WAS REPOSTED. THE FOLLOWING REVIEWER REVIEWED THE FIRST TIME, ALONG WITH MY BROTHER, JOEY WHEELER FAN.**

Nickname Date y-m-d Anonymous/signed

Wanamaker 2004-10-04 Signed

cool story, I love happy endings


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